probably a dumb question but....

I have a 400w hps/mh cheapo chinese junker from amazon, say I wanted to upgrade. could I just buy a decent ballast and bulb and call it a day? like if I wanted to get a GOOD 600w ballast and bulb, say a hortilux or whatever, could I just swap the ballast and bulb on my current set up?

Yea you can most if the time as long as the plug for the reflector is the same as the ballast plug. Why are you upgrading just wondering?is it because you want more light or is it because it's a cheap amazon one? Did the amazon one break?

I'm not upgrading yet, just thinking about the future... I was concerned that the 600 would be too much heat in my closet, but the 400 is super easy to keep cool with the tube and with it being winter, I could easily handle a 600.

the amazon one is running strong, but I've only had it for about 3 weeks.... Ill let you know next year how good it holds up lol.

heres another semi-dumb question


I'm assuming since I bought the cheapo light, it came with a cheapo bulb. is there a real noticeable difference between bulbs? like would it be worth my investment to buy a good 400w bulb or should I just up and switch the ballast as well to a 600.

we're talking about a price difference of about 170$.... I'll probably buy the good 400w bulb before I switch to the 600 anyway, but I just would like some feedback on how big of difference a good bulb actually makes.

ii dP ii said:

heres another semi-dumb question


I'm assuming since I bought the cheapo light, it came with a cheapo bulb. is there a real noticeable difference between bulbs? like would it be worth my investment to buy a good 400w bulb or should I just up and switch the ballast as well to a 600.

we're talking about a price difference of about 170$.... I'll probably buy the good 400w bulb before I switch to the 600 anyway, but I just would like some feedback on how big of difference a good bulb actually makes.

Click to expand...

Better quality light bulbs do make a difference. how big is the space you are lighting up? also how long are you vegging/how tall do u plan on letting these plants get?

it's about 2.5' d x 6' w x 8' h

I'm only growing 2 plants in there though, so the area of light coverage is like 2x3.

I'm already flowering, they vegged for about 8 weeks under CFLs. heavy LST'ing has made them both short and fat. so not a whole lot of light is lost in a deep canopy

I got a Amazon cheapo also..... and yeah, the light bulb is crap, just go with it this 1st grow and get a plantmax, ushio or whatever next grow....and as far as the ballast goes; personally I don't expect much as far as the MTBF (mean time between failure) for a sub $100 ballast, so expect a replacement (myself I'm probably gonna make a vertical move to LEDs) ....basically your logic as a cheap stop gap is sound IMHO

for that sort of size, 400w is plenty. keeping things cool in the winter is extremely easy, try keeping a 600w cool in the summer... AC time! stick with your 400w and just replace the bulb for a LUMII sunblaster or something recognized. as for the ballast, if it is from amazon, about 90% of the time their market sellers are good, and that sort of equipment would come from a hydro store, so it wont be too bad. just remember, it is ALL made in china! even if it says assembled in the USA, the components are not. check the net for some reviews on that particular model. if it is bad, someone would have said something about it online.

wait until you really feel the need to change your ballast and when you do, go digital. they extend the life of your bulbs. but for now i would stick with what you have but change the bulb to something better.

happy growing

http://www.amazon.com/Apollo-Horticulture-GLK400CT24E-Digital-Dimmable/dp/B00547I5I8/ref=sr_1_1_m?s=lawn-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1383743264&sr=1-1&keywords=400+watt+hps+cool+tube

so everyone knows exactly what I'm talking about... this is what I own.

@green troll: it is digital now, so that's good at least. I'm probably just gonna stick with the 400 for now... who knows maybe I'll up to a 600 and get a new ballast and cord and all that, and just use the 400 for veg/cloning and the 6 for flower.

just grab a HTG brand 400W bulb, about $30.

ii dP ii said:

http://www.amazon.com/Apollo-Horticulture-GLK400CT24E-Digital-Dimmable/dp/B00547I5I8/ref=sr_1_1_m?s=lawn-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1383743264&sr=1-1&keywords=400+watt+hps+cool+tube

so everyone knows exactly what I'm talking about... this is what I own.

@green troll: it is digital now, so that's good at least. I'm probably just gonna stick with the 400 for now... who knows maybe I'll up to a 600 and get a new ballast and cord and all that, and just use the 400 for veg/cloning and the 6 for flower.

Click to expand...

4.6 out of 5 with 129 reviews...the people have spoken! Stick with it man, looks like a good one. Damn that is one hell of a good price.

shoot go big or go home, get an ipower 1000w on ebay for 2 bills

I've looked at ballasts and bulbs from a major Chinese manufacturer and the design and specs seem the same to me. I'm certain Apollo, iPower etc are all the same with the exception of the print on the boxes. Perhaps different bulbs but even on the 400 and 250 I purchased recently from different vendors they are the exact same but one is marked iPower.

Take a look at http://www.alibaba.com (search grow light, grow light ballasts etc) that's where the sellers are finding their products at wholesale prices.

I'd keep the ballast you have and maybe get a better bulb.

cool thanks for all the input. next time I've got some extra cash coming in I may just do that.

I have a 600 watt apollo cool tube..a little over a year it runs 24/7 and is still kicking strong..I will be buying a few more here soon and I'm sticking with em
Great customer service as well...not that anything happened to my bulbs ballast etc..did get a bad timer, but whatever

They do come with an rf blocking coating shield whatever it is.. on the inside..and i have no issues with cable radio etc right next to it
Personally I feel they are as good or even better than some brands..

Yes the bulb could be better. But I've ran several other brands and seen the tests in all
There isn't much difference between bulbs..

qwizoking said:

They do come with an rf blocking coating on the inside..and i have no issues with cable radio etc right next to it
..

Click to expand...

this was the biggest question i had with them and why i did not buy one. I hear alot of stories about how these ballast interfear with AM radio signal and also signal for your wireless router.

As did I
I contacted them over email and was told about their rfi shielding...they do have it unlike some of the other cheaper ballasts(how well it works or whatever in comparison idk)
I've never had any issues

Id rather just spend a few extra bucks and buy the known quality brands. HydroGalaxy has good deals on ballast. $116 for lumatek 400 digi http://www.hydrogalaxy.com/growing-lights/ballasts/lumatek-400-250-watt-dual-voltage-electronic-ballast/

I think you will save $ in the long term.